Chemtou is barely 16 km away
from Bulla Regia and, as the latter, lies in the
heart of Numidian country.

Ancient Simitthu was especially known for its
quarries of yellow and pink marble, the famous
gialo numidicum used for the decoration of all
the prestigious buildings (temples, palaces, rich
villas) throughout the Mediterranean basin during
Antiquity. The quarrying of this natural wealth
prompted the emergence and the flourishing of
a city of which some monuments have survived (villas,
judicial basilica, theatre, aqueduct, bridge etc),
constituting the visible part of a heritage for
the most part still to be discovered.

The site consists of two main areas: the quarry,
with its industrial installations, its living
quarters for the work force and the military garrison,
and the city of Simitthu.

Work on the site, including the construction
of a site museum, within the framework of a vast
excavation campaign carried out under Tunisian-German
Cooperation not only underscored the role played
by “Numidian marble” in the past but
also shed new light on the Numidian civilisation
as a result of in situ discoveries, indicating
a degree of material and intellectual progress,
refinement and spiritual elevation hitherto unsuspected
and that are appropriately highlighted in the
museum.

Adjoining the museum are early XXth century marble
works that have been conserved, presented and
listed as being the first elements of “industrial
archaeology” to have been promoted in Tunisia.